


Dream of the Phoenix

by Wushu (samuraioni)



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21758530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samuraioni/pseuds/Wushu
Summary: Follows the romance between Aeris (Aerith in America) and Cloud as it progresses to the end of the adventure. As I’ve not beaten the game yet (had my memory card with a save on disk 3 stolen along with the game), this will be my version of the ending, how I feel it should end.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Kudos: 6





	1. Costa Del Sol

Title: Dream of the Phoenix  
Rating: K+  
Series: Final Fantasy VII  
Pairing: Cloud/Aerith  
Summary: Follows the romance between Aeris (Aerith in America) and Cloud as it progresses to the end of the adventure. As I’ve not beaten the game yet (had my memory card with a save on disk 3 stolen along with the game), this will be my version of the ending, how I feel it should end. 

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, and all characters contained therein are the property of Square-Enix USA, and they reserve all rights entitled to them by law.

* * *

Chapter 1: Costa Del Sol

He awoke with a start, sweat on his forehead, unshed tears in his glowing green eyes. The remains of the nightmare still clinging to him like last breath. He looked around the room, the moonlight flooding in the window told him it must be midnight.

Looking towards the bed next to his, he saw her, a pool of moonlight on her face giving her an ethereal beauty, her long honey-brown hair glowing silver in the gentle rays of light. She had a smile on her face, whatever she was dreaming must have been pleasant, unlike his own tortured dreams.

He looked at the other occupants of the room, Barrett, Tifa, Red XIII, all still asleep in their own beds. He noticed that Tifa was snoring, he gave a small smile, she always woke herself up and tried to blame it on someone else. _How can you snore so loud that you wake yourself up?_ He asked himself as he moved through the room.

Moving silently so as not to wake anyone, he moved to her bedside and knelt there, just watching her sleep. He slowly moved his hand to her face, gently stroking it as he brushed some hair behind her ear. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Aerith, I love you.” He then placed a light kiss on her forehead; leaving the room he was unaware of a pair of eyes following his progress.

He left the Villa and moved towards the beach. The beach in front of Costa Del Sol was a protected beach, so there were no monsters to be found, yet he still wore his sword, just in case.

He sighed as he walked the beach in front of his Villa, recently acquired for some hundreds of thousands of gil, but it was worth it for the view of the sea. He moved along the shore towards a rocky outcropping. Some would call this protrusion a jetty, but he called it a sanctuary, a place to meditate and focus his thoughts. He sat on the edge, near the water, the gentle waves lapping at the rocks beneath his feet.

He sat in silence, his thoughts moving a mile a minute; every one of them was of her. Every night since their journey had begun he’d have the same dream. Every night, when every one else was asleep, he got out of bed and knelt beside Aerith, kiss her forehead, brush stray hair from her perfect face, whisper ‘I love you’ in her ear, then he’d leave the room and walk for an hour. Normally he just wandered around the inn or the village, but in Costa Del Sol, he went to the beach and let his mind drift on the waves, soothed by their hypnotic sounds. As far as his companions knew, he slept the entire night, not one had any idea about his midnight walks and confessions, until tonight. Tonight everything would change.

He had been sitting, watching the dark ocean, listening to the waves that still crashed along portions of the shore, when he became aware of a presence behind him. He wasn’t surprised by who it was.

“You should be asleep, you need your rest, the fight with Jenova took a lot out of you,” he said as the person silently sat beside him.

“So do you, you fought pretty hard yourself,” they replied with a smile, Cloud smiled back.

“One of the things about having been in SOLDIER is that I can go for days on small amounts of sleep, you have to when you’re in battle,” Cloud said while watching the moon reflect on the water.

“So, why’d you wake up?” the person asked, pulling their knees to their chin.

“Just couldn’t sleep, no big deal,” he lied.

“Cloud, I can always tell when you’re lying, your voice gets slightly deeper and you won’t look at me when you talk. Really, what’s wrong?” they persisted; Cloud could never lie to his friends, especially this one. He sighed as he formed an answer.

“I had a bad dream, that’s all, it’s really nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, really? Then why are you awake in the middle of the night sitting alone on the beach?”

He sighed once again, his resolve entirely gone, at this moment he would tell them anything they wanted to know, if they would just make the dreams go away, he wanted to sleep in peace for one night.

“Why?” he asked after a pause, “why do you want to know? It’s my problem and I don’t need to burden you with it.”

“Cloud, I want to know because you’re my friend, and I want to help you.” They said as they placed their hand on his arm.

Cloud slowly looked at the hand, and then looked the person straight in their emerald green eyes.

“You really want to help me, you really want to know what’s wrong?”

“You know I do,” she replied silently, her voice a mere whisper.

“Ok, I’ll tell you, and only you,” he replied, his voice slightly higher than hers.

He looked at the reflection on the water once again before rising. He offered his hand to her and helped her stand when she accepted it.

Taking her hand in his, he began to walk down the beach away from the Villa.

They walked for several minutes in silence, only the ocean was heard. Finally they came to a small rise, well above the high tide markings, covered in a soft grass. Cloud led them to this rise.

Sitting her down he say so that their shoulders were touching, he then began speaking.

“You asked why I wake up in the middle of the night and wander alone, it’s because of the nightmares. I’ve been having the same horrid vision every night since I met you. Every night I dream that you are taken away from me… erm, us, forever.”

“Please, tell me what you dream,” Aerith begged, placing her hand on his arm.

“I see you kneeling, praying in a temple, you look up at me and smile, and just at that moment a dark shadow descends and strikes you down. You fall towards me as I rush to catch you,” his voice becomes choked off, as he struggles to not cry, this is a war he can’t win. “I manage to catch you before you hit the ground, but I can see that you’re dying, blood is flowing from the wound where that daemon pierced all the way through your body. I stroke your hair as I struggle to wake you, you wake with effort and look lovingly into my eyes, I pull your head close to mine so only you will here, I tell you I love you.”

He stops as the tears are now flowing freely; he wipes his eyes on the back of his sleeve.

“What happens then,” Aerith asks in a small, sad voice.

“You look at me once again and say ‘I’ll return when this is over’, then before you can say you love me, you close your eyes and die. That’s when I wake up in a sweat, with that beast’s laughter following me,” he replied with his head down, the tears falling unchecked.

“Oh, Cloud,” she says as she wraps her arms around him, lending him her strength. “Cloud, I do love you and I will never leave you as long as I live and longer.”

At her words Cloud pulls away shocked, _she loves me?_ He thought as he stared at her, stunned.

She watched him for any reaction, and smiled when she found one. She watched as a small smile crept it’s way onto his face, banishing the tears from his eyes.

“You, you love me?” he asked, in shock as the smile continued to creep it’s way over his features, causing his eyes to glow brighter.

“Yes, I do, with all my heart. Cloud ever since I first saw you, I knew we were destined to be together. But do you really love me, Cloud?”

“Of course I do, I couldn’t think of loving another person as much as I do you,” he replied empathically.

“What about Tifa?” she asked.

“What about her? She and I are best friends, we have known each other since we were kids, but that’s all. I used to have a crush on her, but that ended when I joined SOLDIER.” He explained.

“Now the only one I love is you,” he continued, “and I want to be with you forever.”

“Oh Cloud, I want that too,” she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him and hugged him, a gesture that he embraced.

Reluctantly he broke the embrace, but kept holding her.

“Aerith, we should probably head back to the Villa now, the others may wake up, it’s  
almost morning.”

She looked around them, and sure enough there was the just barely noticeable tip of the sun lightening the sky.

“I guess you’re right,” she sighed, saddened by their peaceful moment being broken by the sun. “We wouldn’t want them to worry.”

* * *

So, Cloud led the way back along the beach, Aerith’s hand in his the entire way.

When they reached the Villa, they were still the only one’s awake. Looking at the clock they realized that the other’s would be waking up any minute. So, as one they moved to the kitchen, hands still entwined.

In the kitchen they started the coffee maker, a fresh cup in the morning would make everyone feel better.

Cloud stood leaning against the doorway as Aerith started the coffee maker. He took this opportunity to study her closely, something he wasn’t able to do before.

He watched as she glided rather than walked across the floor, the motion adding a seductive, yet innocent appeal. He watched as the rising sun threw orange rays into her hair, making it appear to be made of pure, golden honey. He watched her smile softly and hum to herself as she worked. All this endeared her to him further, in that moment he vowed to never leave her side no matter what may happen. He vowed that he would protect her even if it mean giving up his own life.

Silently he moved to stand behind her, the coffee maker churning happily. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. She leaned her head back against his strong chest as he gently kissed her forehead.

She turned around in his arms, she looked into his eyes, getting lost in their depths. She watched as a questioning look appeared at her scrutiny.

“I just want to remember how you looked when we confessed our love,” she said with a smile, he just nodded forcing another smile to her lips.

He watched her lips form a smile, he tried to resist, but was weak against her power. He leaned towards those lips and gently brushed his against them, he felt her smile grow against his lips.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, capturing his lips with her own in a gentle, yet passionate kiss. They stood there, savoring their first kiss, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee adding a dimension of tranquility to it.

They quickly broke apart when they heard the door to the bedroom close, they separated further, Aerith to the coffee maker and cloud to the wall, as Barrett came down the hall stretching.

“Mornin’,” he said as he gratefully took the coffee Aerith handed him. She then moved to stand next to Cloud, her left hand hidden behind his back as she leaned against him. Cloud put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to himself, forgetting about Barrett. Cloud then placed his chin on the top of her head as he once again held her close to his body.

Barrett cleared his throat, a grin on his face.

“Now, I won’t tell a soul about you two until you’re ready, but only if I can get another cup of coffee before Tifa drinks it all, you know how she is with her coffee,” Barrett said as they heard the brunette complaining about being kept up all night by Red snoring, to which Red defended himself.

Aerith laughed and gently pulled away from Cloud and moved to the coffee maker. She returned with another cup for Barrett and one for Cloud and one for herself.

Tifa and Red took this opportunity to join the others, still arguing about whether Red was snoring all night, or if Tifa woke herself with her snores.

“… how can you snore so loud that you wake yourself up? It’s impossible Red, **_you_** were the one snoring.”

“Tifa, I do not snore, I’m telling you, you woke yourself up.”

Cloud just rolled his eyes while Barrett lost himself in his coffee, trying not to laugh, Aerith just giggled.

* * *

A few hours later, after eating, they set out for their next destination, North Corel and the Gold Saucer.

* * *


	2. North Corel/Gold Saucer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The song used in this chapter is called _Angel_ and it is the property of Aerosmith. The ‘Duck’ fortune is the property of Cindy Lewin and is used without permission. Square-Enix reserves all rights to the characters and places, as usual.

Chapter 2: North Corel/Gold Saucer

Disclaimer: The song used in this chapter is called _Angel_ and it is the property of Aerosmith. The ‘Duck’ fortune is the property of Cindy Lewin and is used without permission. Square-Enix reserves all rights to the characters and places, as usual.

* * *

After several hard months of travel, the five finally reached North Corel. For over two months they traveled through the mountains separating Costa del Sol and North Corel. Along the way many enemies attempted to stop them, but in the end, the five friends were victorious. 

However, these months weren’t without several happy moments. Ironically most of these were moments when Cloud and Aerith could just relax and be together for a little while. 

“Cloud,” she said one night as they made camp shortly after entering the mountains. 

“Yeah,” he asked as he finished setting up the tents. 

“We will return to Costa Del Sol when this is over, right?” 

“Of course we will, when this is over I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, just you and me,” he replied with a grin as he pulled her into a light embrace. They still had to be careful, Barret was still the only one who knew about their relationship and he was keeping quiet, for now. 

They quickly moved apart when they heard voices coming towards them, Cloud pretended to make sure the tents were up correctly, and Aerith pretended to check the food supplies. Tifa and Red came towards them, once again arguing about Tifa’s snoring. 

“I’m telling you, Red, I do not snore!” she said as they came into view. 

“Of course you do, you keep everyone awake. You really should see a Doctor about it,” Red said, drawing a look that could melt ice from Tifa. 

“Great, now I’m getting medical advice from an overgrown hairball. Cloud, do I snore?” 

Cloud froze, he knew there was no way to answer this question and not get hurt. 

“Umm, I don’t know Tifa, I’m a very heavy sleeper, so I wouldn’t notice,” he answered, hoping she would believe him. In truth, her snores kept him awake on several occasions, it’d be one thing if she had a pattern, but she couldn’t snore a rhythm to save her life. The one plus is that her snores were loud enough to scare away any animals. 

“What about you Aerith, do I snore?” 

“Of course not, Tifa, Red’s just being mean,” Aerith replied, drawing a glare from the lion. 

“See Red, I told you,” Tifa said as she stuck her tongue out at the lion and walked away. 

“Aerith, what are you saying? You’ve complained about how she snores so loud she could wake the dead.” 

“I know that Red, I just told her that so we wouldn’t have to listen to you two going on like five year olds.” 

“Fine, I understand, I know when I’m not wanted,” Red said in an amused tone and walked away, in the opposite direction of Tifa. 

Cloud and Aerith were now alone once again; she quickly moved back to him and gave him a loving kiss and a hug. 

“Will you marry me when this whole Sephiroth thing is done?” she asked from the circle of his arms. 

“Of course my love, I’ll marry you now or when ever you want.” 

“Good,” she said with a smile. 

* * *

The next morning the party broke camp at daybreak and began their journey towards the Gold Saucer and North Corel, Barret’s hometown. 

It took them a month and a half to leave the mountains, and another 2 weeks to walk to North Corel. 

Once they entered the remains of the town, they were set upon by the ‘Welcoming Committee,’ actually they were a group of locals that were unhappy to see Barret, but who's actually counting? 

As the party made their way through the crowd, they were aware of an overwhelming hatred of their companion. The other four began to wonder what had happened. All they knew was that Barret was blamed for what happened to the town. There would be time to find out later, now they had to get to the Gold Saucer, they needed a break from their adventure through the mountains. 

Making their way through the cold shoulders of the town’s people, the group arrived at the Tram that would take them to the legendary Gold Saucer. 

“I’d like 5 tickets please,” Cloud told the women at the counter. 

“Pssst, hey Cloud, can I talk to you?” Barret whispered. 

“I’ll be right back,” Cloud told the cashier who nodded, totally engrossed in her fashion magazine. 

“Man, I ain’t got enough gil to cover 5 tickets,” Barret said, his voice carrying to the ticket counter. 

“Then what are we going to do?” Aerith asked as she stood next to cloud, placing her hand on his lower back, shielding it from the others with her body. 

“Don’t worry about it, go ahead, no cost to ride it up,” the cashier replied as she continued to read her magazine. 

“Thank you,” Aerith said as she was led towards the Tram by Cloud. 

As the group boarded the Tram, there was a sign stating that the ride would take about 10 minutes; the landing platform of the Gold Saucer _was_ a long way up from the ground. 

Seeing the sign, Cloud sighed and sat on the bench farthest from the others, kinda hard to do when everyone wanted the window seat, the car was rather small and there are only so many window seats. Aerith sat next to him, a few inches away to prevent anyone from asking questions about their relationship. 

The car shuddered as the hoist began pulling the Tram from the station, its propellers kicking on as soon as it was clear. The car was thankfully soundproofed against the prop noise, but that didn’t make it any better. There was elevator music being piped in, horror of horrors. 

Resigning himself to the fact that he couldn’t hold Aerith against him while they waiting, he sat back and listened to the song playing. 

**_I'm alone  
Yeah, I don't know if I can face the night  
I'm in tears and the cryin' that I do is for you  
I want your love - Let's break the walls between us  
Don't make it tough - I'll put away my pride  
Enough's enough I've suffered and I've seen the light_ **

Cloud smiled as he listened to the first verse, thinking how it perfectly described how he felt towards Aerith. 

**_Baby  
You're my angel  
Come and save me tonight  
You're my angel  
Come and make it all right_ **

**_Don't know what I'm gonna do  
About this feeling inside  
Yes it's true - Loneliness took me for a ride  
Without your love - I'm nothing but a begger  
Without your love - a dog without a bone  
What can I do I'm sleeping in this bed alone_ **

Cloud looked out the corner of his eye at Aerith, only to see her smiling at him. Turning his full attention on her, he returned the smile, allowing his love for her to shine through his Mako infused eyes. 

**_Baby  
You're my angel  
Come and save me tonight  
You're my angel  
Come and make it all right  
Come and save me tonight_ **

**_You're the reason I live  
You're the reason I die  
You're the reason I give  
When I break down and cry  
Don't need no reason why_ **

Cloud had to restrain himself from reaching over and pulling her into his embrace. He became aware that Barret was staring at him, trying to get his attention. Tifa and Red were still arguing about her snoring and were paying no attention to the other three. 

Cloud understood exactly what Barret was telling him, wait until we reach the Gold Saucer, and then hold her, but not here. 

Cloud nodded, message received. He leaned over and whispered into Aerith’s ear. “We’ll do something fun when we reach the Gold Saucer. Just us, ok?” 

“Yeah,” she whispered back before quickly looking around and seeing only Barret paying them any attention, gave Cloud a small, quick kiss on the cheek. This drew a grin from both Cloud and the somewhat depressed Barret. 

**_Baby, Baby  
Baby  
You're my angel  
Come and save me tonight  
You're my angel  
Come and make it all right_ **

**_You're my angel  
Come and save me tonight  
you're my angel  
Come and take me allright  
Come and save me tonight,  
Come and save me tonight,  
Come and save me tonight,  
Come and save me tonight,  
Come and save me tonight_ **

Tuning out the rest of the music, Cloud put his head back against the seat and fell asleep, waking up a few minutes later when they docked, only to find Aerith’s head against his shoulder, she was asleep too. 

He looked around at the others, Tifa, Red, and Barret were stretching from the long ride, none of them noticing the position he and Aerith were in. 

“Aerith,” he said softly, “wake up we’re here.” 

“Hnnnn,” was her only reply as she struggled to open her eyes. 

“We’re at the Gold Saucer, time to wake up.” 

Slowly sitting up she gave a big stretch and a huge yawn, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

“Come on everyone, let’s go inside, we’ll get some rooms so we can sleep a bit,” Cloud said as he helped Aerith stand up. He then led the sleepy girl out the door into the amusement park. 

* * *

As soon as Cloud had paid for the entrance tickets, Barret took off to think and be depressed in private; maybe he’d hit the Pub. _A good stout Ale would go down real nice right now_ , Barret thought as he headed towards the bar and his awaiting Ale. 

Red and Tifa, continuing their snoring conversation took off as well, headed somewhere to debate the issue. 

“I can’t believe that you made **_me_** go in the suitcase, I could have suffocated!” Tifa was saying as she and Red walked away. 

“Well, Barret did say that he didn’t have enough to pay for 5 tickets, plus there were plenty of air holes.” 

“Yeah, but we could have said you were a stuffed animal, or had Aerith go in the suitcase, maybe even Cloud!” Tifa replied empathically. 

“For starters, I am **_not_** a stuffed animal, nor could I pass for one. Second, neither Aerith nor Cloud are able to fit into the suitcase, their weapons alone take up too much room.” 

“Yeah, but, I’m just saying it isn’t fair, that’s all,” she said with a pout as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

Red just sighed and changed the conversation; she was no fun when she was pouting. 

“So, want to stop by the Pharmacy and get something to help stop that incessant snoring?” 

“WHAT! I DO NOT SNORE!” 

Cloud just shook his head as the two disappeared around a corner and thankfully out of earshot. 

That only left Cloud and Aerith to go get a room. 

“Well, shall we go get a room?” Cloud asked as he extended his arm to Aerith. 

“Yes, let’s,” she replied groggily as she took his arm and let him lead the way to the hotel. 

Deciding to buy one room with two beds, Cloud led Aerith to the room. This way it saved what little money they had left. 

Reaching the room, Aerith fell onto the first bed she saw, Cloud hesitated, contemplating on curling up with the sleeping Ancient. However he thinks the better of it and heads to the other bed, almost falling onto it due to his exhaustion. Soon both were fast asleep, dreaming or their travels and each other. 

* * *

A few hours later, they awoke refreshed. Deciding to explore the famous Gold Saucer, they took off towards the Wonder Square. 

Arriving at Wonder Square, Cloud and Aerith encounter a cat riding a stuffed animal. 

“Hi,” it said, “I’ll tell your fortune.” 

Cloud looked at Aerith; she shrugged, giving him a small smile. 

“Ummm, I think not,” he told the cat. 

“Oh come on, you’ll like the fortune. Promise!” 

Aerith tapped him on the shoulder, taking his attention from the cat. 

“Cloud, let’s see what he has to say. Either way it’ll be funny to see our fortune told by a cat.” 

Cloud smiled at her and taking her hand gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“Ok,” he said to the cat, “we’ll listen.” 

“You will? I mean … you will!” he answered as he went into a strange dance, several seconds later a small paper appeared from the stuffed animal’s mouth. The cat took it and read: 

_“The Cactuar flies at midnight!”_ He read in a clear voice. 

Cloud and Aerith had to restrain themselves from laughing, the fortune made absolutely no sense. 

“Huh? Ok that’s not the right fortune. Here, let me try again.” He said as he began his dance again. Like before the paper appeared and he read: 

_“Ducks are slippery and taste like pillow!_ What? Ok, ok, one more time. This time I’ll get it.” 

The cat’s dance seemed to take a few seconds longer than before, but the paper appeared, just like before. He once again grabbed it and began to read: 

_“What you pursue will be yours. But you will lose something dear.”_

At this time, both Cloud and Aerith were laughing. 

“Well, this is very disturbing,” the cat said as he lowered the final fortune. “I don't know if it's good OR bad... This is the first time I ever got something like THIS. Then shall we?”

“Excuse me?” Aerith asked, slightly shocked, her laughter dying as she took in what the cat said.

“As a fortune teller, I can't help but think about this. If I don't see what it leads to, I won't be able to relax. That's why I'm going with you!”

“Ummm … I don’t know, “Cloud began, looking at Aerith. 

“Ah, come on Cloud, what could it hurt?” She said once she recovered. 

“I'm comin' with you no matter WHAT you say!” The cat said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest, his tail swaying behind him. 

“Ok, I guess you can come, we see no harm in it,” Cloud replied as he turned back to the cat. 

“Thanks, you won’t be sorry. Oh, by the way, my name is Cait Sith; I’m please to meet you both.” 

Leaving the Wonder Square with their new companion, Cloud and Aerith decided to visit the Battle Square and its world famous collection of rare items. 

As they approached, the smell of blood filled the air, a wounded man staggered towards them from the Battle Square, falling in front of the trio. 

“Dead...” Cloud said as he examined the soldier next to him. 

“What? Wa... wait Cloud!” Aerith pleaded as he entered the arena. 

“Did Sephiroth do this? No... It’s not him... They're all shot... Sephiroth would never use a gun...” Cloud said, speaking more to himself than the others. 

“Ugh, ugggh,” one of the staff members said, luckily for her she was just wounded. 

“Hey, what happened?” Cloud asked as he knelt beside the woman. 

“Ugh... ugh... a man with a gun... on his arm...” 

“A gun on his arm! Oh Cloud, do you think it could be Barret?” Aerith asked as her hand went to her throat. 

“Hold it right there! And stay quiet! Did you guys do this?” Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer, asked as guards appeared beside him. 

“N... no, it wasn't us!” Cloud began as he and the others backed away from the guards. 

“Hurry and run, it's gonna get ugly.” Cait Sith said as he took off. 

“Hey!” Cloud shouted as he and Aerith followed. 

“Hold them!” Dio said as the group tried to escape. 

They managed to evade the guards and make it into the battle arena itself, where they were trapped. 

“That's as far as you go.” Dio said as guards flanked him once again. 

“Wait, listen to...” Cloud begged. 

“Cloud...” Cait Sith warned. 

“Hey! Pay attention!” Cloud said, as he grew frustrated with the park’s owner, who was pointedly ignoring him. 

“There's no need to listen. Pay for your crime down below! Officer, Do it!” 

The officer pulled a lever and the floor beneath the trio fell out, sending them into a pit of darkness. 

* * *


	3. Corel Prison/Gongaga

Chapter 3: Corel Prison/Gongaga 

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square-Enix; I’m just borrowing them for a while. The song is _Forever Young_ by Alphaville; I just figured it would fit well into the story somewhere.

* * *

The darkness surrounded him as his eyes struggled to focus.

“What happened?” he asked to no one.

“We are now in jail as far as I can tell,” the soft voice of Aerith came back to him. It was then that he noticed that his head was resting on a firm warm object. Opening his eyes he realized Aerith had his head resting in her lap.

“Glad to see you finally decided to join us,” she said with a smile as she gave him a light kiss on his cheek.

He slowly began to get up, reluctant to leave the gentle embrace that Aerith had him in, her hand slowly running through his hair.

“Where are the others?” Cloud asked once he managed to sit up.

“I don’t know,” Aerith replied as Cloud helped her to stand, wrapping his arm around her waist once she had.

“Where’s Cait Sith?”

“Mower Feer!” came the muffled reply from the pair of feet sticking up from the pile of trash that the toy had landed in. Cloud grimaced, not wanting to think about what might be in the pile. He quickly moved to pull the cat from the pile, wanting to spare him the torture the smells were sure to be doing to him.

“Pahhhhhhh! Thanks,” was his reply as he took lungful after lungful of clean air. “You have no idea how bad that pile smells.”

“Actually we do,” Aerith replied as she pinched her nose, “you need a bath.”

Cait Sith sniffed himself and grimaced, almost passing out.

“You’re right, ewwwww.”

Cloud just laughed as he and Aerith began walking away, giving the cat a wide berth.

“So, where are we?” Cloud asked through the distance that separated the couple from the cat.

“A desert prison... Corel Prison...” Cait Sith replied.

“A desert prison?” Cloud asked in surprise.

“Yup, a natural prison in the middle of the desert...surrounded entirely by quicksand. I heard that once you get in, you never get out... But, there was one special exception...” He began as they entered the main part of the prison.

After walking for a few minutes they noticed they were being followed by a somewhat crazy guy, so seeing a house they went inside, hoping to lose him, which thankfully they did. Not more than two seconds after they entered the room Barret came crashing through the door, the others not far behind him.

“Hey Spike, who the hell is this?” he asked when he saw Cait Sith.

“This is Cait Sith, he helped us out and decided to join us,” Cloud said as he shrugged, indicating that there was nothing he could do to stop his coming along.

“Well, so long as he don’t get in my way,” Barret said as he stalked to the corner and sat down.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Red said as he bowed.

“Hi!” Tifa said as she waved. “I’m Tifa, that’s Red, and the grouch in the corner is Barret. He may seem mean, but he’s actually pretty nice.” Muffled curses were heard from Barret’s corner, and they were ignored as soon as they were heard.

“Barret, don’t be so glum, cheer up!” Cait Sith said, trying to lighten the tension, a bad move on his part.

“CHEER UP?” Barret yelled as he lunged at the cat, luckily he was held back by Cloud and Tifa. “WHAT THE HELL DO I HAVE TO CHEER UP FOR? You didn’t see their faces, you didn’t hear their accusations. You have no idea what they blame me for!”

Barret then pulled away from Cloud and Tifa and returned to his corner, shooting death glances at Cait Sith once in awhile. Aerith decided to see what she could do.

“Barret,” she asked gently as approached him slowly, “do you want to talk about it? It may help.”

“They’re nuthin’ to talk about.”

“Sure there is, tell us what happened, why were the town’s people so angry?” she pushed, hoping she wouldn’t push too far.

“I didn’t want none of ya to get involved...” Barret began, only to trail off into his own thoughts.

“Hey that's Cloud's line! ... _It's too dangerous, I can't let you get involved... 'blah, blah blah_...” Aerith mocked, drawing an evil look from Cloud.

“Yeah. We're already involved in this.” Tifa exclaimed, hands on her hips, eyes flashing in anger at him not letting his friends help.

“I heard that the murders at the Battle Arena were done by a man with a gun-arm. ...Was that you?” Red asked into the silence that followed Tifa’s statement.

“There's another,” Barret replied, shaking his head, “... another man that got a gun grafted inta one of his arms. It was four years ago, Dyne and I, we just returned from a trip when...”

_“Barret! Dyne! Come quick! The village's being attacked! It's ShinRa soldiers!” one of the old men from the village yelled as they approached._

_“What? What the hell happened?...” Barret yelled as he and Dyne ran towards the man._

_“Hey, Barret! It's not over yet! Everyone's waiting! Let's go back to the village!” Dyne said once they heard the old man’s story about the reactor accident._

_Just then, one of the ShinRa soldier shot the old man with his rifle, he fell to the ground dead, his blood pooling around him._

_“Hmp! Old man!” Barret yelled as he began to move to his side, he was stopped by Dyne._

_“C'mon, Barret! We gotta hurry!” Dyne said as he pulled Barret away._

_“Krggh!” Barret yelled._

_Soldiers kept shooting at Barret but Barret kept dodging their rifle bullets._

_“Kyaa haa, ha! You can shoot all day and never hit them with aim like that. Where’d you learn to shoot? At the Gold Saucer?” Scarlet yelled as the soldiers missed Barret again._

_“Shu'up!” Barret yelled as he continued to dodge the soldiers’ bad aim._

_“Watch out!” Dyne yelled when he saw a soldier about to shoot Barret. Dyne ran to get his friend out of the way. Just as he pushed Barret out of the way the soldier opened fire almost hitting Dyne, making him miss his landing and go off the edge of the cliff._

_Barret saw this and ran to the cliff, grabbing his friend before he could fall. Barret’s right hand held Dyne’s left._

_“Dyne! Hang on! Listen to me! You're comin' back to the village, hear?” Barret yelled at his friend, hoping he’d start to pull himself up the cliff side._

_“Yeah... I ain't lettin' go... You're comin' back... Everyone's waitin' for ya... Eleanor... and Marlene... They all waitin' on us...”Dyne said as he began to pull himself up. Just as he was nearing the top the soldiers opened fire again, this time they hit their mark. Barret’s right arm and Dyne’s left arm were severed by the barrage of bullets. The loss of his arm causing Dyne to fall into the canyon below, for Barret everything after that was a blur._

“From then on, I couldn't use my right arm no more. ...I was depressed for a while. But then I threw away my artificial arm and got this gun grafted in. Got a new right arm to get revenge on the ShinRa, who took everything away... Back then, I heard the doc say there was another man who got the same operation as me. But, his was the left arm,” Barret finished as he held up his arm in demonstration.

“...” Was Cloud’s only reply.

“But... Dyne's injury was the same as yours, right?” Aerith asked, pain and regret filling her voice at Barret’s loss.

“Yeah, that's right. He was deceived by the ShinRa, too. He'll probably join us to fight against the ShinRa,” Tifa began hopefully, only to have the hope crushed by Barret.

“Wouldn't bet on it. I gotta 'pologize to Dyne before I can rest in peace. An' that's why, I gotta go alone,” Barret said as he stood up.

“Do whatever you want... Is that what you want to hear? Well, I can't let you do it. Because, if you die on me, I'm gonna have nightmares,” Cloud explained. _I already have enough deaths on my head as it is._

“Barret, this isn't the end,” Aerith said, a fiery determination lighting her sapphire eyes.

“Weren't you going to save the Planet?” Tifa asked him, hands once again on her hips.

“Shit! Tifa, you oughtta know by now.” Barret replied, a frown on his face.

“...That's all right. I'm not so different from you,” she confessed.

“That's easier to understand. It's you, Barret,” Aerith said, placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

“So there it is, Barret. So I guess it'll be Barret, me, and Aerith. Everyone else rest up, we don’t know what this prison holds for us,” Cloud said as he, Barret and Aerith left the house in search of Dyne, the real murder.

* * *

After walking in silence, the trio came to a junkyard, the sound of a machine gun reaching their ears.

“This must be the place,” Cloud said as he led them into the yard and towards the gun shots. When they found them, they found a man, a gun on his arm, shooting junk off a cliff into a deep ravine that ran the length of the prison yard. His back was to the group, but they could tell this was a man in a lot of pain, mental and physical.

“...Dyne... Is that you?” Barret almost whispered.

“Now that's a voice I haven't heard in years... A voice I'll never forget...” He began as he stopped firing and stood up to his full height and turned towards them.

“I always hoped I'd be able to see you again someday... I knew you were alive somewhere... we had the same operation,” Barret took a step forwards, only to be stopped by Dyne shooting the ground in front of him, he kept shooting but then suddenly stopped.

“What's that? ...I hear her voice,” the troubled man said, a far away look on his face.

“...?” Barret was confused, he didn’t hear anything, and looking to the others he could tell they couldn’t either.

“I hear her voice, Eleanor's voice. Begging me... not to hate your rotten guts. That's why I didn't hunt you down...” Dyne said in a low voice.

“I know I was stupid. I'm not asking you to forgive me. But... What're you doin' in a place like this? Why ya wanna kill those that ain't even involved? Why?” Barret pleaded with his one time friend.

“Why? The hell do you care for? Are the people killed going to understand 'why'? Are the people of Corel going to understand just hearing ShinRa's excuses? I don't CARE what the reason is! All they give us are artillery and stupid excuses... What's left is a world of despair and emptiness...” Dyne yelled.

“...” Barret just hung his head at his words.

“You still want to hear 'why'? ...All right, I'll tell you. 'Cause I want to destroy everything! The people of this city, this city itself, the whole world! I got nothing left in this world. Corel, Eleanor... Marlene...” he trailed off as long forgotten tears threatened to fall.

“Dyne, Marlene... Marlene's still alive,” Barret said, hoping this news would awaken the shell of a man before him.

“...?” the confusion was evident on Dyne’s face, so Barret continued.

“I went back into town. I thought she was gone for sure. That is why I wanted to be by her side till the end. That's when I found her...found Marlene. She's in Midgar. Let's go see her together, all right?”

“So... she's still alive... All right, Barret. I guess that means you and I gotta fight.”

“what?” Barret asked as he took a step back in shock.

“Eleanor's alone all by herself. I've got to take Marlene to her,” Dyne explained as a lunatic gleam shone in his eyes.

“Dyne... are you insane?”

“Marlene wants to see her Mom, don't she?” Dyne asked as he opens fire at the ground in front of Barret.

“Stop, Dyne! I can't die yet!” Barret yelled as he stepped away from the bullets.

“Oh yeah? Well my life's been over ever since then,” Dyne says as he continues to shoot at Barret, this time no longer at the ground.

“Stop it! I don't wanna fight you!” Barret yelled through the hail of bullets.

“Barret!” Cloud yelled, seeing his friend in danger.

“Cloud, you stay the hell out of it! This is MY problem!” Barret yells back as he raises his gun arm to fight his best friend.

The battle was short, each man exchanging shots with the other, each knowing that in the end, one of them would be dead. Just as it looked as though Dyne had the upper hand, Barret countered with a well placed shot to Dyne’s midsection.

“Urgh!” Dyne yells as he fell to the ground, blood pouring from the stomach wound Barret had given him. Aerith began to move towards him, a cure spell ready.

“Back!” Dyne yelled as he rose to his feet and staggered away from the girl, his gun pointing at her, keeping her at bay, “ ...it wasn't just my arm... back then... I lost something irreplaceable. I don't know where I went wrong...”

“Dyne... I don't know either, man. Is this the only way... we can resolve this?” He held up his gun arm, blood oozing from the various bullet holes and nicks along it’s length.

“I told you... I ... I want to destroy everything... Everything... This crazy world... Even me...”

“An' what 'bout Marlene? What's gonna happen to her?” Barret asked, as Dyne slowly pulled himself to a semi-standing position against a piece of junk.

“Think about it... Barret... How old was Marlene back then...? Even if I did go to her now... she wouldn't even know me... And what's more... Barret... These hands are a little too stained to carry Marlene anymore...”

There was nothing Barret could say in reply.

“Barret... Give that pendant to Marlene... It was... Eleanor's...my wife's memento...”

Dyne tossed a pendant to Barret, which he caught in his left hand, the chain wrapped around his fingers.

“All right...” Barret answered as he lowered the pendant to look at Dyne.

“Wow... Marlene's... already... 4... Barret... Don't... make... Don't ever make Marlene... cry...”

“Dyne? Dyne!” Barret yelled as Dyne approached the edge of the ravine behind him, looking over the edge he slowly fell forwards into the welcoming black arms of oblivion. Aerith turned into the waiting arms of Cloud who held her as she cried away the pain of not being able to help another person.

“Dy-----ne! ...Dyne. Me an' you were the same... My hands ain't any cleaner... I shouldn't be able to carry... Marlene either... Uuuurrrrrrgghh!” Barret got out, just before he passed out from blood loss, Aerith and Cloud were at his side in an instant.

“Aerith, heal his wounds and we’ll take him back to the house,” Cloud said as he began to pick up the heavier man.

Aerith quickly healed his physical wounds, but both she and Cloud knew that only time would tell if his mental wounds would ever close.

* * *

Once they returned to the house, Cloud placed Barret on the small bed located in the back room, sleeping as comfortably as was possible. Returning to the main room he stood before his assembled friends.

“Our path is clear, we must get out of this prison and stop Sephiroth. We know that the Chocobo races are the only way that we can get out, so I am going to win and free us all. Barret is in no condition to travel any way, so Aerith and I will go to sign me up for the races. I’ll send her back as soon as I go up. Then we’ll see where it goes from there.,” with that Cloud and Aerith left the small house and made their way to the base of the Gold Saucer and their awaiting fate.

* * *

Driving across the plains, the wind streaming by the cabin window, Cloud momentarily took his eyes off the road in front of him to look at the passing clouds. Calling the path they were on a road was actually a joke, there being no real roads outside of the cities. The one they were currently on was just a small dirt wagon track, hardly big enough for the buggy to fit on. Luckily they were crossing the plains outside of the Gold Saucer, heading to what hopefully should be Gongaga Town.

His eyes returned to the road ahead, the soft sounds of jazz playing through the radio built into the dash. Aerith was sitting beside him, watching the world pass by as he drove. Red was asleep in the back, next to a still unconscious Barret, thankfully this time from sleep. Cloud didn’t need to look to know that Tifa was almost asleep herself; the sounds of her ever-increasing yawns were evidence enough.

With a smile and a quick look at his love, Cloud changed the radio to a rock station, turning the volume down enough not to wake the others. Aerith smiled as she moved closer after stealing a glance at the now snoring Tifa. She cuddled against his side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, eyes still on the road before them.

As they sat listening to the sounds of the radio, a song came on. This song was one of those songs that you’ve heard before but couldn’t remember the name, or where you heard it.

_Let's dance in style,  
Let's dance for a while  
Heaven can wait,  
We're only watching the skies  
Hoping for the best  
But expecting the worst  
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?  
Let us die young or let us live forever  
We don't have the power  
But we never say never  
Sitting in a sandpit,  
Life is a short trip  
The music's for the sad men  
Can you imagine when this race is won?  
Turn our golden faces into the sun  
Praising our leaders,  
We're getting in tune  
The music's played by the madmen_

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever  
Forever -- and ever_

Cloud sighed as Aerith snuggled deeper into his side. In that moment, on their trip to Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon, Cloud realized the most important thing in his life. He realized that the beautiful young woman beside him had captured his heart. He realized that if anything happened to her, he would have no idea what he would do. She was his world, and even when they grew old together, he would still see her just as she was now, and ethereal spirit not belonging to this world but somehow through divine fate she was here with him.

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever…  
…Forever Young_

_Some are like water  
Some are like the heat  
Some are a melody and some are the beat  
Sooner or later, they all will be gone  
Why don't they stay young?  
It's so hard to get old without a cause  
I don't want to perish like a fading horse  
Youth's like diamonds in the sun  
And diamonds are forever  
So many adventures couldn't happen today  
So many songs we forgot to play  
So many dreams swinging out of the blue  
We'll let them come true_

Looking at the woman he loved more than his own life, he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“I love you,” he whispered as he kissed the tip of her ear before returning his eyes to the road, not really caring if the sleeping girl heard him or not, yet pleased by the fact that he had said it in front of the others, asleep they may be.

Cloud was so engrossed in Aerith and his thoughts that he was totally unaware of the mournful eyes that watched this exchange.

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever  
Forever -- and ever_

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever  
Forever -- and ever_

_Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever…_

Once the song ended, Aerith gave a small contented sigh. Cloud came to another revelation at this time, that he could no longer feel his butt. So, deciding that he’d get his blood flowing again, he pulled off the road.

“Aerith, wake up, we’ve stopped for a bit to stretch,” He said as she slowly lifted her head and looked around, the sleep still shadowing her eyes. Once she had moved from his shoulder he began to wake to others.

“Tifa, hey Tif!” he said as he shook her shoulder, “time to wake up, we’re almost there.”

“Cloud? Why have we stopped?” she sleepily asked.

“Well, I figured we could all use a good stretch before we got there, we’ve been driving for days you know,” he replied with a little laugh as he went to wake the others.

Tifa replied with a yawn and a stretch.

“How far to Gongaga?” Red asked as he padded to the front to Aerith who was holding the map.

“Not far, maybe another hour or so,” she replied after studying the map and rolling it back up.

“I suggest that we all stretch now, we don’t know what we’ll find when we get there, for all we know Sephiroth has already burned it to the ground,” Cloud said as he left the buggy to follow his own advice.

As he was stretching, he felt a presence behind him.

“Hello Tifa,” he said without turning around, his eyes scanning the view before him; Aerith was kneeling in a small flower patch a beatific smile on her face as she inhaled the delicate fragrance wafting on the air. It was both towards this site and beyond that Cloud’s gaze was directed. He was watching the girl he loved and the panorama of sky, clouds, and mountains that framed her in their earthly beauty.

“Cloud, how long have you known?” Tifa asked as she took a position beside him, her eyes tracing the mountains in the distance as well.

“Known what Tif?” Cloud replied, confused by her sudden topic.

Tifa took a moment to gather her thoughts, allowing the gentle breeze to caress her face and hair. Taking a deep breath she answered him.

“How long have you known that you … that you didn’t … love me.”

Sighing, Cloud turned to look his childhood friend in the eyes.

“Tifa, I do love you,” her eyes brightened but then faded, the look in his eyes was a pained one, telling her all she needed to know, but she needed to hear it from his own two lips. “But not like you love me, you’re my best friend, the only friend I had as a child, and I will always love, as a friend. But Aerith, I love more than that, I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and I’ve loved her since I first meet her in that church in Sector 5. I hope you can understand.”

Tifa was silent as she searched his eyes, finding only the truth in their oceanic depths. She smiled in acceptance of their relationship, leaning forwards to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“I overheard you, you know. When you whispered that you loved her after she had fallen asleep, I heard you; I saw the look on your face. That’s why I approached you about it. I love you, but seeing the happiness you two give each other, I know that we were never meant to be more than friends. I know you two will be happy forever, take care of her.”

With that Tifa turned and returned to the buggy to wait for the others, and to cry silently.

“Cloud?” Aerith asked as she approached him from behind, her hand coming to rest on his arm, a concerned look in her eyes.

“There’s no use hiding it now, Tifa knows, she confronted me on it,” he explained as he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked in the direction Tifa had walked.

“And, how is she?”

“She’ll be fine, she gave us her blessings and wishes us the best,” he replied as he enfolded Aerith against his strong chest in support.

“She truly is a good friend, I know there is someone out there for her, I can feel it.”

Cloud laughed as he hugged her against him; releasing her he took her hand and began leading her back to the buggy.

“You’re always the optimist, that’s one of the reasons I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied as they entered the buggy, from the looks the others gave them, they too were aware of the relationship between the two. Glancing at Barret, they could tell he hadn’t told them, so they must have noticed it themselves.

“Ok, let’s get back on the road,” Cloud stated as he sat in the drivers seat and started the engine, Aerith once again beside him.

After his hours at the wheel, Cloud decided to let Aerith drive, so for the remaining trip to Gongaga, he would be riding shotgun. Now he just had to find a good place to pull off. Seeing a break in the forest, he pulled over and turned off the engine.

“Cloud? Why have we stopped?” Aerith asked from next to him, Cloud just smiled.

“We stopped because you’re driving, I’ll teach you how,” and so Cloud spent the next few minutes showing her how to drive the buggy.

“So, you think you’ve got it?” he asked her, she just nodded, a smile gracing her face as her eyes sparkled in anticipation. That anticipation quickly turned to worry when she saw something through the front window.

“Cloud, what’s that?” she asked pointing at the heap of dirty rags laying several feet in front of the buggy.

“I don’t know, stay here, I’ll check it out,” grabbing his Mythril Sword, Cloud moved towards the bundle, wary for an attack.

Reaching it, he could see dried and fresh blood covering a human body. Upon closer inspection her saw that it was a young girl, maybe around 16 years old, her black hair was crusted with mud and dried blood. Seeing the shape she was in he picked her up and moved swiftly to the buggy.

“Aerith, start the engine, get us to Gongaga as soon as possible, she needs medical attention!” Cloud exclaimed as he rushed into the buggy with the unconscious girl.

Aerith wasted no time, as soon as he was through the buggy door, she threw the engine into drive and took off down the road.

Shortly the lush green forests of Gongaga came into view. Five minutes after that they were pulling up before the only town in the entire forest, a group of medical personal came running out with a stretcher for the girl. Once they left the remaining party made their way up the steps and into the town.

* * *


End file.
